A Forum for Orthodox Jewish thought on Halacha, Hashkafa, and the social issues of our time.

Thursday, June 12, 2014

No Such Thing as Peace at Any Price

Peace with Fundamentalist Islam is an oxymoron

No one wants peace in Israel more than I do. I am a firm
believer that life trumps land. That’s why I had always supported almost any
deal Israel would make with the Palestinians. As long as Israel’s security was
assured and the Jewish people could have free and have unfettered access to all of
its holy places, I was for it.

As much as I believe that the Jewish people have a right
granted to us by God Himself to settle in all the land of Israel, I am equally
sure that we are obligated to prevent loss of life and limb in doing so. Until
the time of Moshiach’s arrival, we must compromise in these areas. So in theory
land for peace is something I would still be in favor of.

Unfortunately this formula cannot work. There is no such
thing as land for peace. Not in Israel. And not when we are dealing with an Islamic
Fundamentalism determined to turn Israel into an Islamic state called Palestine
- at any price.

Islamic Fundamentalism is in my view, the most serious
threat to world peace in our day. One need not go far from the State of Israel
to see it in action. Iraq is currently in the process of being overtaken by Fundamentalist Muslims with a goal of turning it into
an Islamic Republic ruled by Sharia (Islamic) Law. They are succeeding too,
having taken over one city after another as Iraqi soldiers cower at their advances
and run the other way. These people are brutal. And they are guided by a
religious fervor unrivaled by any of the other major faiths.

A similarly motivated Fundamentalist Muslim group, called
Boko Haram has kidnapped 276 school girls in Nigeria. Their goal too is to create an
Islamic state in Nigeria run by Sharia law.

The events of 9/11 was a similarly motivated attack.
Fundamentalist Muslims attacked America because they perceived the United
States hindering those goals by among other things supporting Israel.

And let’s not forget about the Islamic revolution in Iran
that happened over 30 years ago… and Iran is still going strong under Sharia law.

There are so many instances of violence in the name of
Islam, it would take a book to list them all. That said, I realize that most
Muslims are not radical fundamentalists. They may or may not agree as Muslims that
Sharia law would be the ideal way to
govern a country. But even if they do believe in Sharia law they are not interested
in the violence and carnage being done to achieve that. They would just as soon
live in peace and prosperity in a live and let live world.

Unfortunately it really doesn’t matter what the common
Muslim wants. Fanatic religious fervor trumps it all. Their ends justify their
means. There is no compromise with religious doctrine. For them a doctrine that mandates
mankind to be ruled by Sharia law means that all is fair in achieving that goal.

That’s why I am so completely opposed to any kind of peace
deal in Israel right now. No matter how conciliatory moderate Palestinians
leaders might be, it won’t matter in the end. Israel cannot afford to give up
any of its security measures. It cannot allow any citizen to be vulnerable to
attack.

Fundamentalist Muslims will do whatever it takes to take turn
Israel into Palestine. There is no compromise. There is only tactics. Giving up land for peace no matter what kind
of security apparatus is set up - will be undermined by these fanatics. They
will try to do in Israel what they are successfully doing in Iraq.

Of course that will not be as easy to do in Israel. Israeli
soldiers fight hard. And Israel’s military might is far greater than Iraq’s.
But make no mistake about it. If Israel is bombarded by rocket attacks now - if
there is a land for peace deal, it will make what Hamas and Hezbollah are doing
now look like child play.

Israel must therefore do whatever it feels necessary in
order to protect itself. A peace deal that gives up the West Bank for example could
be suicidal. At the very least it will end up spilling a lot of Jewish blood.

What I cannot understand is why good and decent people do
not understand that. The United States still wants Israel to make peace with
the Palestinians via a 2 state solution - where the West Bank will become
Palestine. This is foolhardy. Even if Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas is
sincere about wanting both sides living in peace and security, there is no way
that fundamentalists will allow it. They will stop at nothing to achieve Sharia law in the Middle East. Destroying
Israel will continue to be the first item on that agenda.

Religious fanatics have no respect for politicians, like
Abbas that get in their way. Anyone hindering their goals will be treated like
an obstacle to be overcome by any means necessary – including assassination.

Even in the event that the fundamentalist leaders of Hamas (who
have formed a unity government with Abbas’s Fatah faction) somehow agree to a
peace treaty, it should be seen for what it is – a tactic towards the ultimate
destruction of Israel. I don’t think there can be any doubt about that. So much
as I believe in a 2 state solution in theory, it is not possible as long as Islamic
fundamentalism continues to spread. And as we can plainly see, it is marching
on to victory in Iraq right now.

Whenever one believes that God is in their corner – as do
these fanatics, nothing will stop them. They die - and kill - for their cause with
pride. I wish I could say that these people are an insignificant minority that
will die out eventually. But I think it is evident that the opposite is true.
They may be a small minority compared to the whole of Islam. But they are far
from insignificant. And they are growing. They are going to fight for their beliefs.
Many will die proudly while trying – only to be replaced by even more fundamentalists
willing to do the same.

I find it sadly humorous to see government leaders refer to various
Islamic terrorist groups by name - as though Al Qaida or some other group is the enemy. The enemy is not Al Qaida.
They are just a part of the larger group of Islamic Fundamentalists that all
have the same goal. If It was Al Qaida Yesterday, it is Boka Haram today. What difference does it make what an ad hoc
or even organized terrorist group calls itself? They are all united by that one
goal. If one falls another two will arise to take its place under a different name.

The enemy is Fundamentalist Islam, pure and simple. I thought that the world - especially the
United States - would have learned that lesson after 9/11. But they didn’t. And
they still don’t. It seems that no matter how much evidence there is to support
the intransigence and extremist measures that they successfully and
increasingly employ, the world seems to continue to be blind to it.

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About Me

My outlook on Judaism is based mostly on the teachings of my primary Rebbe, Rabbi Aaron Soloveichik from whom I received my rabbinic ordination. It is also based on a search for spiritual truth. Among the various sources that put me on the right path, two great philosophic works stand out: “Halakhic Man” and “Lonely Man of Faith” authored by the pre-eminent Jewish philosopher and theologian, Rabbi, Dr. Joseph B. Soloveitchik. Of great significance is Rabbi, Dr. Norman Lamm's conceptualization and models of Torah U’Mada and Dr. Eliezer Berkovits who introduced me to the world of philosophic thought. Among my early influences were two pioneers of American Elementary Torah Chinuch, Rabbis Shmuel Kaufman and Yaakov Levi. The Yeshivos I attended were Yeshivas Telshe for early high school and more significantly, the Hebrew Theological College where for a period of ten years, my Rebbeim included such great Rabbinic figures as Rabbis Mordechai Rogov, Shmaryahu Meltzer, Yaakov Perlow, Herzl Kaplan, and Selig Starr. I also attended Roosevelt University where I received my Bachelor's Degree - majoring in Psychology.